He was beloved as a player.
Now he’ll make his pitch to be the head coach of the Cavaliers.
Former All-Star guard Mark Price will interview for the Cavs’ vacant coaching job on June 10, a source confirmed. The news was first reported by the Plain Dealer.
Price, 50, is an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets. He previously coached with Denver, Atlanta, Golden State and Orlando. The Oklahoma native has never been a head coach in the NBA.
He earned All-Star berths in four of his nine seasons with the Cavs. Price played in Cleveland from 1986-87 until he was traded to Washington in 1994-95. He was one of the top shooters in the NBA.
Price will be the sixth known candidate to interview for the head coaching job left vacant by the firing of Mike Brown on May 12.
From afar, it appears as if there are two separate coaching searches being conducted by the Cavs.
It appears as if one is being performed via “back channels” by Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert, who seems to be chasing high-profile college coaches like Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Florida’s Billy Donovan and Kentucky’s John Calipari.
If the Cavs want to make a big splash on the national stage, hiring one of the college coaches would cause a big scene.
Then, via traditional routes, there’s Cavs General Manager David Griffin, who has interviewed former NBA head coaches Alvin Gentry, Lionel Hollins and Vinny Del Negro, along with lesser-known assistants Tyronn Lue and Adrian Griffin.
Gentry and Lue have reportedly been granted second interviews, presumably this week. Gilbert and possibly the rest of the ownership group will sit in on this round of talks.
Gentry and Lue were assistants on Clippers coach Doc Rivers’ staff last season.
Gentry, 59, was a head coach with Miami, Detroit, the Clippers and Phoenix. He has a 335-370 record (.475) in 12 years as a head coach.
Lue, 37, spent four seasons as an assistant coach/director of basketball development with Boston and one year with the Clippers. He has been on Rivers’ staff in all five years as an assistant coach. He won two NBA titles as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
Gentry and Lue are highly regarded in NBA circles, but neither would cause much of a stir.
It was revealed on June 9 that Calipari nixed a seven-year, $60 million deal from the Cavs to become the team’s coach and president, Yahoo Sports reported.
Gilbert was ready to turn over full control of basketball operations to Calipari, who has been successful as a college coach, but flopped in his lone attempt in the NBA. He was 72-112 (.391) in three seasons as president/coach with the New Jersey Nets. The Nets did make the playoffs in 1998.
Calipari, 55, won the 2012 NCAA championship at Kentucky. He rejected the Cavs’ offer last week. He parlayed their interest into a seven-year, $52 million extension at Kentucky.
The Yahoo story said Calipari would have had the final say in basketball matters.
Calipari’s proposed salary with the Cavs would have made him one of the highest paid executives/coaches in the NBA.
Donovan has yet to completely spurn interest from the Cavs.

Advertisement

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@news-herald.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsinsider.